I’ve wanted the ORBX TrueEarth GB package for some time but was put off by the inclusion of The Netherlands.

Nothing against that country of course but I have no need for the extra detail. I wrote to ORBX support asking if a package for just GB could be made available.

Nick Cooper replied this morning advising it’s now available. At under 60GBP it’s a decent price too.

https://orbxdirect.com/bundle/trueearth-great-britain-prepar3d-bundle

I already have them all including the Netherlands that has seasons. But no longer have the GB installed for that reason instead use EU ORBX regions.

32 minutes ago, G-RFRY said:

I already have them all including the Netherlands that has seasons. But no longer have the GB installed for that reason instead use EU ORBX regions.

Given you have both I’m interested in why you switched to the EU versions. Is EU England better than the 3 GB versions and if so in what respect?

More recent? More detailed?

I see the EU England has seasons but is far cheaper than the GB versions. That suggests it’s less detailed.

I've found discussion on the differences between TE GB and the EU packages over at Orbx. TE it is then despite the lack of seasons. I can live with green countryside all year.

For what it's worth @Ray Proudfoot , I have both TE and EU. After a while using TE and I suppose becoming used to it, I found that looking at buildings, trees, water etc. basking in summer sunshine whilst flying on a wet miserable afternoon in November became somewhat disconcerting.

It was because of this that I uninstalled TE and went back to EU and don't miss it at all.

With hindsight (isn't hindsight just great) I would/should not have bought TE !

Anyway, just my tuppence worth..........

 

@Sparkrite, the TE series were made available in 2019. The EU ones around 2013. Plus the TE file sizes are 3 times larger so it’s clearly a more detailed offering. I’m not bothered about seasons. We don’t get much snow at low levels these days and I can ignore the Scottish Highlands.

First flight just completed. A short hop from Manchester down over Jodrell Bank then north for a landing at Liverpool.

The ground textures are darker than FTX Global. Some tweaking required but otherwise I’m pleased with performance and the extra detail.

Does this P3d package work with V6?

My reason for EU is for the seasons with TerraFlora Trees, spring and the fall flying from Europe to the UK It blends better, the same in winter, If you just fly around in the sun you don`t need It.

11 minutes ago, dbw1 said:

Does this P3d package work with V6?

 ORBX Central doesn’t support v6 as far as I’m aware so no, it won’t.

44 minutes ago, dbw1 said:

Does this P3d package work with V6?

I haven't tried it in V6, however all other ORBX offerings I have ( and I have many) work perfectly in V6, including other 'photoreal' based sceneries.

I might try it in a day or two and will let you know, but I don't forsee any problem (famous last words 😄) .

5 hours ago, Sparkrite said:

I found that looking at buildings, trees, water etc. basking in summer sunshine whilst flying on a wet miserable afternoon in November became somewhat disconcerting.

This is why I have avoided photoreal scenery.  I just can't suspend belief quite enough to enjoy flying over summer vegetation in January.

This is also a big reason why I'm not interested in that other sim.  It will be interesting to see how they handle seasonal changes, which they supposedly plan to have in the next version.

I'm waiting for a decent ORBX sale on the EU regions as they are far too expensive right now IMO, especially for a sim which ORBX barely supports or develops for anymore.

Dave

27 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

This is why I have avoided photoreal scenery.  I just can't suspend belief quite enough to enjoy flying over summer vegetation in January.

The British Isles enjoys cool winters and warmish summers. The position of the Jet Stream delivers warm ocean currents along the west coast of Scotland and the wind comes predominantly from a SW direction. Snow is not common on low levels.

Compare that to the equivalent latitude in Canada where snow covers the ground for most of winter and temps often to rise above freezing during daytime.

Though I've collected a great deal of pay and free photo scenery I usually end up turning the photoreal it off and reverting back to Global and LC scenery. For me it's just that the colors don't seem right, and resolution is poor as you fly lower. Exception is the three ORBX TE regions I have.

40 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Snow is not common on low levels.

It's not just about the snow.  In fact, one thing I don't like about the FSX/P3D season rendering system is the reliance on an inaccurate season map which often puts a "hard winter" snow on the ground when in reality snow is either quite rare in the area, or only lasts a few weeks as opposed to the entire months of January and February.

However, even in the UK there is a noticeable difference in the terrain colors in the winter vs the summer.  If it's anything like the eastern USA, the grass tends to yellow in the winter and green up in the summer, for example.  Then there are the trees which should change based on the season.

With photoreal scenery, it's always a pros vs cons thing as well as being subjective.

Dave

23 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

If it's anything like the eastern USA, the grass tends to yellow in the winter and green up in the summer, for example

I’d agree with that. But we choose according to pros versus cons and flying around 1500ft and seeing my country in such detail is the determining factor. It’s only in the British Isles of course. Once I cross into mainland Europe the snow returns.